Academic Programs - Dallas Theological Seminary

ACADEMIC
PROGRAMS
PURPOSE
The program leading to the Master of Arts in Biblical Exegesis
and Linguistics degree is designed to provide graduate-level
training for people who desire instruction in Bible translation.
It is designed for missionary recruits from America and other
nations, furloughing and in-service missionaries, and translation
support personnel. It is offered jointly with the Graduate
Institute of Applied Linguistics (GIAL), which prepares people
for service with Wycliffe Bible Translators and other organizations.
(The program only fulfills the minimum requirements for the
first term of service with Wycliffe Bible Translators.) The New
Testament Studies department is responsible for administering
the program on campus.
GOALS
Educational Goals
To enable students to:
• exegete the Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible;
• form a basic theological foundation as a grid for
Bible translation;
• engage in collaborative work with speakers of
minority languages;
• record an unfamiliar language using the International
Phonetic Alphabet (IPA);
• apply basic principles of hermeneutics in Bible study and
Bible translation;
• employ computational tools to construct a phonological
analysis, descriptive grammar, partial lexicography, and
interlinear text of a minority language;
• discover their language learning styles and practice various
language learning methods;
• conduct and record participatory observations in a
cross-cultural setting; and
• do linguistic analysis of a previously unwritten language.
M.A. IN BIBLICAL
EXEGESIS &
LINGUISTICS
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis & Linguistics (M.A./BEL)
Spiritual Goals
To enable students to:
• evidence an increasing likeness to Christ as manifested in love
for God, love for others, and the fruit of the Spirit;
• evidence commitment to world evangelism; and
• evidence an awareness of spiritual conflict and the resources
in Christ.
Ministry Goals
To enable students to:
• translate the Bible effectively in a cross-cultural context;
• produce an accurate profile of a chosen country or area of
the world; and
• design an effective strategy for cross-cultural ministry.
M.A. IN BIBLICAL EXEGESIS & LINGUISTICS (M.A./BEL)
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